


let's go home, dumbass

by neverlcnd



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Boyfriends, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Fluff, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, I'm Sorry, Internal Conflict, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Beta Read, Overthinking, Volleyball Dorks in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:54:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29945472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverlcnd/pseuds/neverlcnd
Summary: He has gone through a lot of internal conflict to figure out that he liked Hinata. And then he went through even more to figure out if Hinata liked him. But that didn't work so he even tried to stop liking Hinata, but it didn't seem like much of an option so he ended up trying to make Hinata like him. He has really gone through quite the emotional battle only to meet a dead end and it was frustrating. Which was what led him to his last plan.How to confess to someone, and that time, he didn't search it on the internet.—or kageyama realizes that he likes hinata and relies too much on the internet in matter to find a way to be with him. spoiler alert, he eventually succeeds (of course he does).
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. the uphill (downhill) to hinata's heart, by tobio kageyama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i only recently started watching haikyuu and fell for their dynamic <3 this is just a long fic of an overused plot (which isn't really a plot, just kageyama simping over hinata (chapter 1) then a little going over their actual relationship (chapter 2)) hope you enjoy (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ )

Kageyama was short on words, bad with them, actually, and not that expressive with his actions either. He was a bit, inexperienced with the whole concept of mutual communication and understanding, to say the least. His vocabulary was rounded, circling around the same, never-ending line of short-lettered words and various of insults and his physical approach was either an attempt at murder or a polite distancing. Sometimes it was both. He has never thought that the wall he built to keep people away from him was even capable of ever breaking. It seemed impossible and a part of him wanted it to stay that way. He didn't _need_ people. He had volleyball and it was more than enough for him. It was interesting, though, for such a retreated person to be part of a team. Anyone would expect a guy like him to tend towards individual sports. But he _loved_ volleyball. He was _good_ at it, _gifted_ with it. And he _loved_ winning. He could only feel fully alive when he was standing on the court, with his teammates, giving it his best. He wasn't good at anything else, so he believed that he was _solely_ born to play volleyball.

And he also believed, although he would only admit it during vulnerable moments, that he was solely made to be Hinata's most compatible setter. The _perfect_ , _weird_ _duo_. People would call them. A _special connection_. Hinata was, to his utmost despise, a friend. A friend that was quite the complete opposite of one when they first met. A friend that turned out to understand Kageyama more than anyone ever has, even if they were as different as the day and the night. They had a special bond, as much as he didn't want to admit it. But he was a bit prideful of it, of how well they worked together on the court, like two cogs, perfectly fit for one another. So, Kageyama didn't need people, he was quite bad at the whole communication thing, but not that much around Hinata. And it felt a bit strange. Because, well, there was always tension in between them. People couldn't really understand it, their dynamic, the on and offs, the way in which they were always fighting, then coming back together stronger than before. Kageyama didn't understand it either in the beginning, but he grew to see it, the hidden mutual understanding they had of each other, the overwhelming trust. He didn't know what it was, or where it was coming from, but he knew that it was making Hinata different from other people. And Kageyama, who only had and needed volleyball, sometimes was wondering if volleyball would ever feel the same without Hinata by his side. It was a scary thought to have. But it was occurring from time to time. Not during their fights, not during their best of moments either, but right before sleep after exhausting days.

However, the thought was always pushed away by a stronger one, filled with that inexplicable over-confidence that Hinata would never stop playing volleyball, especially by his side. It was all obvious in the look of those eyes whenever they got serious, that he was planning on playing for a long time and most importantly, keep on winning, with Kageyama and the rest of the team. And Kageyama felt the same, but lately, it has been a bit _different_.

Not affectionate Kageyama started working on his physical communication skills and he was bad at it but he could still give half-hearted compliments and reluctantly high-five his teammates after a successful point. So, it was some kind of _growth_ , but there had been something else that he wanted to do for a while. That _different_ something. And it was weird, because it would overstep all of his social limits, but something in him still wanted to do it. Everyone else does it, he did it too a couple of times, but not _like this_. His hand was tingling sometimes, to do it. Pat Hinata's head after a good point and run his fingers through those orange, spiky yet soft locks. He has done it before, although it was more like he was pulling the hair out of his scalp, but not during a game, not in front of so many people, not with endearing thoughts and a tendency to smile. But he _wanted_ to. A lot. There was no reason for him not to, like he said, everyone else did it. But they were not like Kageyama. They weren't afraid of showcasing acts of affection and those acts of affection didn't mean that much to them either. But they meant a lot to Kageyama.

Especially after _that_ point. They were in the middle of a practice match, at deuce with other team, one point ahead of them and Hinata was supposed to go into another one of their quick attacks, their toughest weapon. And he did, he didn't hesitate when he spiked that ball, leaving Kageyama a bit fascinated, like every other time. But it didn't end there. The other team's libero was able to keep the ball in the air and passed it on the other side and Kageyama could sense it, the fire surrounding Hinata when he started running towards the opposite side of the net and then he was flying, blinding and before Kageyama knew it he was tossing the ball to him. Hinata swayed his arm as if he was ready to smash the brains out of that ball, but then he stopped it mid-move and did a faint, the ball dropping low, almost powerless in between the alarmed players swiping the floors to reach it, but it was too late. And it could've been out of luck, because Hinata tended to be very lucky during games, but that time it wasn't. Hinata actually used his head in the game, his whole purpose was to do that, Kageyama was sure of it. And it made him feel some type of way. _Proud_ , maybe?

He heard his teammates break into over exaggerated cheers and roars and he caught Hinata filled with excitement, looking at him with that specific triumphant smile he always pulls whenever he does something great. And it was just burning inside of him, that feeling. He grinned at him, which wasn't unusual whenever they were scoring a point, or even better, winning a match-point, but it didn't _feel_ like enough. He knew that he didn't have to do more, because the rest would. He knew that Tanaka was getting ready to lift Hinata in the air and praise his ears off, but he still wanted to do _that_ thing. His palms were itchy, the same kind of itchiness he feels whenever he misses volleyball and that meant a _lot_.

So, he approached Hinata. His eyes were shining, Kageyama didn't know how they did that but they were so bright and glowy, almost pleading for compliments. Kageyama took a deep breath, raised his arm until it was above the orange nest of hair and then the room went a bit quieter, it always did whenever the two of them were having a moment. He felt stupid, to feel nervous about it, but his fingers were already combing into Hinata's hair before he knew it and something changed in Hinata's expression, but Kageyama couldn't point what. It felt nice, soft, a bit sweaty but it was fine. It felt better than ripping it off. Way better.

"Good job, dumbass," The words left his mouth a bit hesitantly, his hand still in the other's hair and the room went entirely silent. 

Hinata was radiating, really. It was different from other times, though. Kageyama felt like Hinata was radiating because of him and him only. Because of that praise and head pat. If that would've happened outside of the court, Hinata would've asked him if he's sick or something, but on volleyball premises, he knew that Kageyama was sincerely trying to compliment him. And he loved it a bit too much, it seemed. It was different from when he got ambushed by the whole team only a few seconds after, because he was _still_ looking at Kageyama. That was when Kageyama had realized what he did and how it made him feel and how it made _Hinata_ feel.

"Gross," Tsukishima muttered from right beside him and Kageyama was faster than the speed of light to shut him up with a derogatory term. But yes, it was kind of, _gross_. In a good way.

One thing about Hinata, though, is that, once he receives a taste of something good, he keeps on wanting more and more of it. He expects it. His greed is quite obvious at times and a bit terrifying. Kageyama knew that much. So, it wasn't hard to realize that ever since that head-patting situation Hinata has been expecting one of those again. It was obvious, the way his expectant, big, annoyingly sparkly eyes would stare right at Kageyama with a certain emotion after doing something right on court, as if asking for that high praise again. But Kageyama was never going to do it again (although he really, really wanted to). He was wondering whether Hinata would say something about it at some point. He was never one to hold back whatever's on his mind.

"Kageyama," There it was, his own name. He was just a bit surprised.

He forgot that he was walking home with Hinata, because it was unusually quiet. For some reason his talkative, annoying friend wasn't talkative and annoying at that moment. It was weird, he realized shortly after.

"I will become way better than you, to surprise you again like that time!" Hinata's tone suddenly rose and he stopped walking, clenching his fists and teeth while staring at Kageyama with overflowing passion. It was such a Hinata thing to do, that Kageyama was almost unimpressed. _Almost_. He has heard the shorter say those kinds of things many times, but he knew that that one was a bit different. That was why he was, in fact, a little bit surprised and unfortunately he didn't have the time to hide it. If his brain wasn't failing him, what Hinata told him, in other words, was that he was going to make Kageyama pat his head again and it did something to Kageyama. That Hinata has actually been constantly trying ever since that practice match to make Kageyama _proud_ of _him_ , to have him do that again. It was twisting rusted emotions in his chest and he didn't like it. Usually, he would make fun of him or grin at him as if taking on some kind of challenge, but not that time.

"Whatever, dumbass," He said softly and averted his gaze from Hinata's piercing one, continuing to walk.

It was like that sometimes and then Kageyama would fall face-down into his pillow and start thinking about that stupid friend of his' and that frustrating character he has. They were angry thoughts, he'd often tell himself, but he wasn't feeling anger at all that night.

After a few days Kageyama came to the sour realization that the head-patting situation wasn't affecting Hinata only, but himself too. There was a certain stuffy feeling in his chest whenever someone _else_ would do that, pat Hinata's hair. It was stupid, because half of the team and every passing stranger would do that, but that was infuriating him even more. He also realized that he wasn't very good at hiding it either when Tanaka pointed out the way in which Kageyama was _throwing daggers with his eyes_ in Sugawara's back whenever the senior would pat Hinata. And he didn't know why. But after that, no one else would even _dare_ to put their hands in Hinata's hair, which was a bit sad for Hinata who _loved_ the little pats of encouragement. Someone had to do _something_.

That someone only _happened_ to be Kageyama.

He was practicing late with Hinata again, but it was later than usually and both of them seemed exhausted, ready to call an end for the day. Hinata was sitting slouched on the floor, breathing heavily, a towel wrapped around his neck. Apparently his stamina wasn't endless, like everyone believed. But for him to look _that_ tired, it meant that he truly worked harder than ever that day. Maybe, maybe it was a good excuse to praise him for it. After chugging down the last droplets of water in his bottle, Kageyama walked towards his friend and could feel his whole being tingling all of a sudden. It was that nervousness washing over him again. He bent his knees and squated in front of Hinata, who didn't take notice of his presence yet and then without another thought, he put his hand in the messy hair and wrapped it around his fingers before releasing it softly. It only took a matter of seconds for Hinata to look up at him with shiny eyes and a warm smile. _Crap_. Kageyama thought to himself for no reason at all.

"Good practice," He said and then ruffled the orange hair, making a bigger mess out of it before he carefully combed it away from Hinata's eyes. His heart was running a marathon, faster than a few moments ago when he was unstoppably serving. It was unusual. There was suddenly something else aside from volleyball and food that was making his heart race and it was playing with the hair of a dumbass. It made no sense. But the way in which that certain dumbass was _looking_ at him while he was doing so, was making him feel like maybe, it was worth it. He had to say something mean before he would actually start to believe that. "But seriously, what were those last receives?" He asked in a scolding tone and pushed his finger into Hinata's forehead, who lost his balance right away and fell on his back with a loud yelp.

That sounded more like them.

But his heart wasn't slowing down. It didn't that night. He could still feel it, the hair in his palms and the excitement in Hinata's eyes.

The third time Kageyama patted Hinata's head was an _accident_. The two of them were blocking and Kageyama's hand wanted to reach the ball but got tangled in Hinata's hair along the way. It wasn't _supposed_ to happen. It couldn't even be counted as a head pat, but it left Kageyama _wanting_ to give one. _Stupid_ , _fluffy_ , hair.

The fourth time (not that Kageyama was counting), was also an accident (although the rest of the team was convinced that it wasn't). They were in Tokyo for a few friendly practice games and sleeping on the floor would always end up with some of the restless sleepers to be all over everyone else. Kageyama wasn't one of them, but Hinata, although small, sure moved a lot in his sleep, _even_ in his sleep. Those constant movements somehow led to Hinata attempting to _cuddle_ Kageyama in his sleep and asleep Kageyama's instincts to stop him ended up with him putting his hand in the shorter's hair. When he woke up a few centimeters away from Hinata, his fingers still in his locks and Hinata's leg over his hips, it was already too late. Everyone who was awake had proof. And _worse_ than that was that a part of Kageyama didn't really want to break away from that position. He wanted to believe that it was, again, because of the hair, but that time, it seemed to have been more than that. Like how the dumbass looked a bit like an actual not-annoying human being when he was sleeping peacefully like that. It was fumbling with Kageyama's stomach. He, really, didn't like it.

He didn't think that things could get any worse than that, but apparently another urge grew within Kageyama while they were in Tokyo and it had to do with Hinata, _again_. Some people were doing it to him and Kageyama wanted to try it too. Squeeze and pinch his _stupid_ cheeks. While observing others do it, he came to the conclusion that his friend had some intriguingly elastic cheeks and he wanted to feel it too, the skin stretch under the strength of his fingers. He didn't know why. It was a relief that he could do that without seeming out of character, though. All he had to do was integrate it into his scoldings, an aggressive cheek demolishment. He felt smart for a moment.

"Useless dumbass!" He shouted when Hinata failed his service during a crucial point and grabbed the boy's cheeks in-between his fingers, beginning to pinch and squeeze them as if his life depended on it. He was supposed to feel furious, but he was secretly enjoying it a little bit too much. No one seemed to care, so he kept on doing it whenever he had something to lash out at him with, which he started doing way more than usually just to get the stretchy skin in his hands. He was very well aware that his reasons were weird, but he decided to ignore that thought. And he tried really hard not to make it obvious, that he absolutely hated it whenever other people were anywhere near Hinata's face. Because he wasn't _supposed_ to _care_.

He honestly thought that his strange needs would stop after the cheeks, but he was very wrong. Kageyama found something new that he wanted to try out and unfortunately, Hinata was, for one more time, his only target. To carry Hinata on his shoulders. That must have been the most stupid of them all yet. It was what made the rotten, slow cogs in his brain start to actually _think_ about it, about the reason behind all of those _ideas_. _Why would he want to carry a dumb dumbass on his shoulders?_ Nothing good would come out of it. Apparently, he has seen it a few times, how cheerful the orange-head looked whenever one of his seniors would raise him on his shoulders and Kageyama wanted that happiness on him too. But, _why_? Why did he like running his hands through Hinata's hair and squishing his cheeks and wanted him to sit on his shoulders? That was _nothing_ like him, like _them_. But he still, **wanted** to.

They were practicing blocking with Bokuto and Kuroo when luck only seemed to be on his side for once.

"I bet that even if Hinata sits on your shoulders that you can't block my attacks," Bokuto said pridefully at some point during practice and Kageyama heard him loud and clear. He has never heard anyone better in his entire life. Also, he felt kind of insulted, a wave of competitiveness rushing through him. He glared at Bokuto and bent down, one knee touching the ground.

"Hinata," He voiced the name sternly and Bokuto muffled a laugh while Hinata let out the loudest ' _Ha?!_ ' ever, but immediately grinned when he realized that Kageyama _wasn't_ kidding. The short boy then jumped on the taller's shoulders in just a matter of seconds and _damn_ , he was heavier than expected. Kageyama cursed at how carelessly his friend jumped and grunted while he tried to stand back on his feet, but when he made it, something switched inside of him. _He was holding Hinata on his shoulders_ , the realization ran through him a few times. And _he liked it_. Why did he like it when it was such a hassle? His hands were wrapped around the boy's small ankles, _so_ small. Kageyama has never thought about Hinata's ankles before.

It was probably weird to think of anyone's ankles in general.

He was so distracted by his ridiculous thoughts that he almost missed it, the spike coming at them in full force, the ball touching Hinata's fingertips and then flying off into the court. However, that little contact was strong enough to send both of them to the floor, their backs colliding with the harsh ground. _Happiness_ , Kageyama thought at that moment, _is_ _indeed short_. But, he still succeeded, in having Hinata on his shoulders. He didn't know how that was a victory, though, or important, since it only resulted with back pain and embarrassment. It looked as if he kind of liked it though, that pain and embarrassment. _So absurd_.

And yet, as absurd as it was, it didn't take Kageyama long (three days to be exact) to find something else to preoccupy himself with, that still had to do with no other but the infamous Shōyō Hinata. The goal was to pinch his (ridiculously tiny) nose. He saw coach Ukai do it once and it seemed entertaining enough. The problem was that he couldn't just go ahead and do it. That would be weird. He had to find a way to pinch Hinata's nose _naturally_ , not make it look as if Kageyama actually _wanted_ to pinch it, because then things would get, confusing. Kageyama felt kind of dumb, when he searched it on the internet. _How to pinch someone's nose_. He actually misspelled _pinch_ with _punch_ the first time around and was left quite satisfied until he figured out his mistake and sighed in disappointment. And of course, the internet didn't have a single good response for the actual question, which left Kageyama braining too hard for too long. Of course, Hinata was to blame.

It was during lunch break, on a colder day than the rest, when the stars seemed to have aligned in Kageyama's favor once again. 

"I think I'm going to sneeze," Hinata said from beside him and Kageyama thought that it was the perfect chance for him to pinch his nose. It would be such a good way to annoy him, right when he is about to sneeze, taking in a deep breath and scrunching his face and then Kageyama has his fingers tightened on the sides of his little nose and, _pinch_. He was feeling way more giddy about it than he would ever admit and Hinata lashed out right away, frustration coming out in loud complaints. But nothing really mattered, except of the fact that he got to pinch Hinata's nose, _naturally_. The shorter looked quite amusing, pissed off like that. Even if Kageyama was showing pure indifference with his face, he was pleasingly entertained and satisfied with himself. But there was that question again. _Why_? _What was the big deal about it_?

Usually he would shove the question away, but it has crossed his mind enough times to start irking him. Before he even knew it he was searching it up online. _Why do I want to tease someone all the time?_ Because if he were to put it in a wider spectrum, that was what he was doing, bothering Hinata, teasing him. Secretly too, on top of it. But he didn't really like the results. They were hinting that Kageyama felt _comfortable_ around Hinata and _liked_ him as a person, or even _more than that_ and that was just, ludicrous. The internet has been wrong plenty of times and that was probably one of them. Even so, his fingers lingered a bit before he hesitatingly typed in the next question.

"So _stupid_ ," He muttered to himself, a bit exasperated, staring at the emboldened search.

_**How do you know if you like someone?** _

Tobio Kageyama has never been interested in something like this before. He has never been interested in anything else beside volleyball, until Shōyō Hinata shoved his dumb existence in his life and things have never been the same ever since. It was his right to know, whether the ridiculous idea of him liking Hinata, could be true. Which was the reason why he scrolled down until the first dot .

**You find yourself wishing for more time with the other person.**

_False_. Kageyama wished he could spend _less_ time with Hinata, because they were _always_ together. But he did feel quite bummed when Hinata missed practice that one time he felt sick and the boy's abscence could always be felt in the air, not in the best of ways. Kageyama couldn't agree with wanting to spend more time with his dumb friend, but he sure wasn't feeling all that great whenever they _weren't_ together. It wasn't the same thing, _right_? He quickly dodged the question with a swat of his hand, moving onto the next point.

 **Everything makes you think about them**.

He pondered over it for a while. Although he hated to admit to it, he has been thinking of the slow-witted dwarf quite a lot lately. Even when they were at each other's throats, Hinata would always be present in Kageyama's mind, as someone extremely bothersome. He didn't know if there were any _specific_ things that were making Kageyama think about him. _Volleyball_ made him think of Hinata quite often, but that was a given. _Shrimps_ and _orange_ objects too. However, most of the time _Hinata_ was making him think of Hinata, so that didn't really count, right? _**Everything**_ around him had to make him think about Hinata in matter for him to _actually_ like Hinata. Which, according to the results so far, he didn't.

 **Everything feels more exciting with them around**. Was the next sign, which Kageyama found completely stupid.

First of all, Kageyama was capable of feeling real excitement _only_ while _playing volleyball_ and because Hinata was his _teammate_ , it was inevitable. Second of all, Kageyama could also feel a great deal of excitement while eating, regardless whether Hinata was there or not. Yes, sharing a meal or a snack with his friend after a tough practice felt quite fulfilling at times, but it wasn't any different than eating at home or at school, alone or with other people. Maybe he also started feeling a bit excited while teasing Hinata those past weeks, but that excitement couldn't ever come close to volleyball or eating, so Kageyama _decided_ that it didn't count. Which led him to the following dot.

**You start to like the things they like (even if you used to hate it).**

Kageyama didn't even _know_ what Hinata liked and he was not the type of person to switch from things he hates, unless pigs start flying or something impossible like that. The only thing that Kageyama could think of at the sight of that sentence would be their duo as co-players. He used to hate it, the idea of playing on the same team with Hinata, having to toss to him, communicate with him, adapt to his likings during the game, but the hatred used to be mutual back then. There wasn't something that Kageyama started liking _just_ because Hinata also did. Maybe he started liking volleyball _more_ after coming on good grounds with Hinata, but _everyone_ liked volleyball. Therefore, that didn't mean anything.

 **Your thinking is focused on every little thing about them**.

He felt a sour taste on his tongue once he read the point a few times only to end up defeated by it, since it wasn't _completely_ _wrong_. Consciously or unconsciously, Kageyama was always _observing_ Hinata, was it during games, practice or other surroundings. He knew what his hair felt like under his fingers, because he **wanted** to know. He knew how squishy his skin was because he **had** to feel it himself. He knew what Hinata was thinking most of the time only by looking at him **once**. He knew it when Hinata was begging for a toss with his fiery eyes and also knew when Hinata was having doubts before a game. He knew when Hinata was getting tired, despite of his never-ending energy and he knew when Hinata was hungry and what Hinata liked to eat on certain days. He knew that Hinata's nose was extremely small and sensitive to cold and strong scents. Only by looking at his mannerisms, he could tell if Hinata was feeling good or bad, pumped or discouraged, ready or hesitant, _anything_ and _everything_. Kageyama was aware that to know so many things, he must've focused a lot on Hinata throughout those few months they spent in each other's presence, glued to the hip.

Kageyama let out a heavy sigh and flipped on his back, holding the phone high above his face, eyes starting to ache from the light of the screen and the small text on it.

The last point was referring to something that he hasn't actually thought of before.

 **You get jealous when they're with someone else, or talking about someone else**.

 _Jealous_. Kageyama always hated that word, that feeling, everything about it. He knew exactly what it felt like and how raw it was. He could recall feeling jealous _of Hinata_ a few times, sometimes because of his talent and other times because of his social skills. But it was light jealousy, nothing compared to how he used to feel in middle school about better players than him. He didn't really know the _depth_ of the jealousy he was supposed to think about. Was him interrupting Hinata from getting all excited while talking with Yachi when they were supposed to be doing _homework_ considered as jealousy? Was him disliking other people touching Hinata's hair or face or him in general a sign of jealousy? Was the idea of Hinata being around guys taller than Kageyama bothering him that much because he _might_ be jealous? Was the thought of Hinata feeling as good spiking with another setter as he does with him that infuriating because of jealousy? He didn't quite _know_. They did feel like mild types of jealousy, but were they mild enough to not be considered a warning sign, or were they just on the edge of an alarm going off?

Did he _truly, like_ Hinata?

 **You want to touch them and mirror their actions, feel close to them**.

Kageyama wasn't a big fan of affection, or anyone touching him or him touching others in general, but recently he has been having the urge to touch Hinata, a lot. It started with the damned high-fives, which weren't his idea but he kind of started liking them, feeling the small of Hinata's palms over his', it felt nice. The hair, the cheeks, the nose, his weight over his shoulders. He has been searching for a plentiful of excuses to be in physical contact with Hinata at all times. It felt as if Hinata was a magnet and Kageyama was the metal that couldn't _stay_ away. That _had_ to be close. Despite Hinata being the clingy one and Kageyama hating that clinginess, he was growing to like it, need it at times, maybe even initiate it. And he hated it _so_ much.

But, well, eventually, in spite of his own stubbornness, Kageyama gave in and let himself come to terms with the fact that he, Tobio Kageyama, indeed, liked Shōyō Hinata in more than a friendly way. And that idiot of Hinata wasn't supposed to find out, not yet.

🏐

Apparently, after figuring out about the little crush he was having on Hinata, something has changed in Kageyama. He became even more observative than before, at least as long as it was about Hinata. Thoughts that had never crossed his mind before began to rage in his head and he didn't really know how to stop them. How to stop wondering what would it feel like to _hug_ Hinata, to hold those idiotic _hands_ of his', to touch that dumb face whenever he wanted to and lastly, to _kiss_ that frustrating grin off of his _annoying_ , perfect, _cute_ face. They were thoughts that were distracting him during practice, distracting him during lunch, distracting him before sleep and Tobio Kageyama was not one to get easily distracted. He was completely right when he thought that liking someone was a waste of precious time. He has been losing too much time just to _think_ of Hinata, it was insane.

The truth was that he was still trying to adapt to it, to liking Hinata. Everyone would think that competitive and passionate Kageyama, if he were to be interested in relationships, would be just as impactful with love as with volleyball, but they were a bit off. Kageyama loved volleyball and he could pursue it, he could play anytime, hold a volleyball in his hands whenever he wanted to, talk about it with anyone. But liking someone, especially Hinata, was a bit different. It felt like it should be harder than that, to confess and express his feelings. He couldn't talk to someone about it either, so he settled on doing even more observing, to figure out if there was any chance that his dumb friend could be feeling the same way. And undoubtedly, he searched it on the internet. For someone who wasn't easily swayed by the glowy screen, he was sure putting a lot of trust in it all of a sudden.

Anyways, he was still going to try it out.

**How do you know if someone likes you?**

Thefirst sign he read was implying that, if Hinata were at least a tad bit interested in him, his **body language** would show it by leaning towards him, standing close to him. It was true that Hinata was always close to Kageyama, but it was only after going over that article that he started to pay more attention to it. When he used to be busy ignoring Hinata, he didn't realize just how _often_ Hinata was clinging to him. They were close, most of the time and Hinata was always unconsciously searching for Kageyama, facing him, moving beside him and Kageyama gravely failed at noticing it before. Yes, he was Shōyō Hinata, lively, social, affectionate, but he knew that his friend was not someone he could so freely be close to. Kageyama felt a bit dumbfounded when Hinata placed his forehead on his shoulder during practice once, moving it into the bone to massage it while murmuring something about having a headache. And that was weird. He looked around alarmed but everyone was acting as if it was _normal_ , when it obviously _wasn't_. Since when did Hinata start allowing himself to do _things_ like that? Like, lean his body into Kageyama's at times or wrap an arm around his shoulders (as much as he could reach them), as if they were _buddies_.

But were those acts of closure signifying that Hinata had feelings for him, or that he was just being a good friend? He couldn't seem to be able to differentiate them.

Perhaps he would be able to know more by examining the next sign. **Remembering small details**. Kageyama wasn't one to talk a lot about himself, or anything else except of volleyball, so if Hinata were to know, remember details about him that might've slipped some time ago, it would probably _mean something_. To his own frustration, the short idiot looked as if he knew _more_ about Kageyama than Kageyama himself. For instance when they were eating. Sometimes Hinata would order for the two of them, always getting one of Kageyama's favorites dishes, or he would share something from his own, which was unlike them, but it was always parts that Kageyama secretly loved eating. Or while they were studying, although it would only happened once in forever, Hinata seemed to _know_ the places where Kageyama felt more content to study in, he seemed to _know_ that Kageyama, although very organized, tended to forget his eraser in the classroom, or preferred underlining with scentless markers, which were the ones Hinata had. It looked like he _always knew_ what to say to him whenever he was feeling low, or how to act about it, as if he was able to fully understand him.

Kageyama hasn't noticed those things before.

He also failed to see just how much more talkative Hinata was around him, with someone who could swallow his tongue without no one figuring it out. That was leading him to the next sign, which was about **communication**. It was a known fact that Shōyō Hinata was a chatterbox. If ' _curiosity killed the cat_ ' were a person, it would be him. Just like ' _cat's got your tongue_ ' would be Kageyama (completely different). But for some reason (maybe because they were _friends_ ), Hinata was _never_ shutting up in his presence. He was babbling about his day, what was getting him angry or excited, asking dozens of things about Kageyama then answering his own questions about himself and Kageyama hasn't really been _listening_ to him all that time. He started feeling bad about it. But to his defense, that blabbering mess was talking mostly nonsense. Either way, the point was that, indeed, Hinata was communicating more with Kageyama than with other people, which was rather, _surprising_.

And just like he thought that Hinata was talking with everyone all the same, he didn't think any differently about his _smile_. Hinata was _always_ smiling at everything and everyone, that was something everyone knew. He was always getting excited over the tiniest of _useless_ things and expressing it with that stupid, mouth of his'. But the internet was telling him that Hinata was supposed to **smile** in _another_ way at Kageyama. And that he was supposed to _feel_ that contrast. Sometimes he did. From time to time Hinata would throw smiles so bright they were blinding, his eyes smiling along, glimmering and closing in two curved lines while the corners of his mouth wouldn't stretch too wide, just enough to form a grin, a calmer, warmer one than usual. Kageyama tried to see if he was offering those to anyone else, but they seemed to only be directed towards him. But he could also be _imagining_ things.

Why was it so hard? To know if Hinata liked him? He could _easily_ figure out whenever a girl at school was eyeing him a bit too much for his liking. It was easy to know if any of them liked him.

He let out a sigh while looking at the orange source of his problems from afar. He wished he could just pick him up by his dumb hair, twirl him around and throw him somewhere far away. It would solve at least _some_ of his worries. Some of his **nervousness** , which was also one of those dumb signs. Not that Kageyama was _nervous_ around Hinata or anything like that. But he could at least _speculate_ that Hinata was, occasionally, nervous around Kageyama, but not for the best of reasons. He knew that Hinata was _afraid_ of screwing up during a game because Kageyama was scary when he was upset with him and that he used to get _very_ nervous around him during their first clashes. However, a different kind of nervousness? He could see at times, a flush of redness in Hinata's cheeks, but it wasn't unusual, or happening only in front of Kageyama and he didn't know if it was nervousness or just blood deciding to run in his cheeks. How was he supposed to know if Hinata was acting _especially_ nervous around him when the little guy was _always_ on the edge?

That unhelpful site said something among the lines ' **The more you embrace your surroundings, the better you will know** ', but he has embraced his surroundings more than he has in his entire life altogether and the only thing he came to conclusion with was that Sugawara was sometimes looking at the two of them with a weird, parental smile. As if he knew something that Kageyama didn't. And it was a bit annoying.

In other words, his research ended up being useless.

But he had another plan up his sleeve and the headline was:

 **How to stop liking someone?** Sponsored by, of course, the internet.

According to a random article he had to tell himself what he _didn't_ like about Hinata and why a relationship in-between them, _wouldn't_ work. And then he had to start spending _less_ time with Hinata, _observe_ him _less_ , _ignore_ him _more_ , exactly what he was doing _before_ he came in touch with his own feelings. And well, he tried, he really did, but it was **impossible**. Any wavering change in their friendship would result to a drastic change on the court and he couldn't risk it. Also, he shamefully came to the awful realization that he liked _everything_ that he _disliked_ about Hinata. But he did ponder more over the reason why they _wouldn't_ be able to work together _romantically_. He tried to imagine it, having a dispute with Hinata if they were more than friends and he could immediately feel his blood boil in his veins. That _stubbornness_ would surely be a problem, for both of them. But he couldn't imagine them _not_ making up. They were always coming back together after breaking, no matter the seriousness of the issue. He knew that it would be same if they were together.

To put it shortly, Kageyama wasn't thinking of stopping to like Hinata any time soon. And he only had two more (hopefully one) plans to resort to.

🏐

 **How to make someone to like you?** Was the plan, as stupid as it sounded.

 _Firstly_ , he had to start showing **more interest** in Hinata. He decided to take a task a day with the beginning of the new week and once Monday hit in he was ready to give Shōyō Hinata his utmost interest. He knew it would be strange for others, he could feel their stares throughout the whole day. Because Kageyama wasn't being _subtle_ about it. He was keeping his eyes on Hinata at all times, holding **eye-contact** , glued to him by the hip at any moment, _actually_ listening to everything he was saying, doing whatever the other wanted to _on_ and _off_ court. Before Hinata could even _move_ , Kageyama was already giving him his bottle of water, because he was interested. And he didn't know how to feel about the look of confusion on Hinata's face, that just eventually turned into a thankful smile.

"Can you bring mine too?!" Nishinoya shouted from the other side of the court, but Nishinoya wasn't Hinata, so Kageyama glared at him with utmost annoyance, the libero quickly lifting his hands up in his defense.

 _Only_ volleyball and _Hinata_ , deserved his full attention and devotion. He never thought he would ever say that. And weirdly enough, Hinata wasn't mentioning anything about it, like he did that time about the head-patting.

Before he even knew it, it was already Tuesday and he had to **ask Hinata things about himself** and **compliment him**. Unfortunately he found those way harder to do than silently take interest in him. He had to put way more effort into that. His first attempt at initiating a casual conversation was a failed murmur that dumbass Hinata didn't even _hear_ and the second one was a bit _too_ much.

"How are you?!" He almost shouted, kind of aggressively, at the end of class. His classmates flinched at the sudden loudness and Hinata's color drained from his face. Once he settled back to reality, the shorter boy's mouth opened but no sounds were coming out, which was very unlikely of Hinata.

"I'm, I'm fine," The boy answered after a little while, stuttering. He looked so flustered that Kageyama started wondering if it was the _first time_ he has ever asked Hinata about how he was doing. Guilt filled his throat at the thought. He had to calm down.

Scratching the back of his head, he looked away for a moment.

"What do you like doing during break time?" He muttered under his breath, nonchalantly and although he already _knew_ the answer, maybe Hinata would appreciate that he was actually _asking_ him. He hated how proud he felt when he saw that stupid face light up immediately. Then they were practicing together, during break time. They have done it before, lots of times, but it was never Kageyama who was initiating it, or caring about what _Hinata_ wanted to do. He thought that it was, _some_ kind of progress.

What he was more hesitant about was the _complimenting_ part. He was _barely_ getting the hang of complimenting him _on_ court. He didn't have the _slightest_ idea how compliments worked outside of volleyball. _Nice_ _face_? No, that was stupid. No one actually _said_ that. He _hoped_ no one did. And no, he wasn't going to search it up, he had some kind of self-respect left.

They were in the changing rooms when he was ready to act up. Hinata wasn't struggling with taking off his shirt that day and Kageyama thought that it was worth complimenting. Well, nothing in his opinion, except of mind-blowing volleyball skills, was worth complimenting, but that was _Hinata_ , his _crush_ or something like that.

"You don't look like that much of a dumbass today," He said without an ounce of liveliness in his tone or expression, staring at the shirtless idiot. Someone would definitely disagree, that that could be counted as a compliment, but for the two them, it was. Kageyama was basically calling Hinata _cute_ , in a _very_ tangled way. _That's right_. Not that he _actually_ thought that Hinata was cute. That wasn't what was happening. He was just, following orders.

Later on, during practice, he was giving Hinata more praises than usually and even _smiling_ at times, which was labeled as creepy by the rest of the team, but he didn't care, since **smiling** , according to the internet, was an important part of the whole _charming_ someone process. He was sure that his change was becoming noticeable, but while they were walking home that evening, Hinata didn't talk about it. He was going on about how _cool_ Kageyama looked while serving and he might've blushed for a millisecond. He hoped no one noticed.

And then he closed his eyes and it was Wednesday. His mission was to **make Hinata laugh** and **entrust him with one of his secrets.** He figured that Wednesday would be the most difficult day yet. If he were anyone else _but_ himself, making Hinata laugh would've been a piece of cake, because Hinata laughs at everything others say and do. But he was Kageyama. There wasn't a single ounce of humor in his bones. And he even had to _share_ a _secret_ with _Hinata_? He would rather smile at him a thousand times or look at Tskukishima in a non-murderous way once than share _anything_ personal with anyone.

Thankfully, making Hinata laugh turned out to be easy, because the world was on his side (or not really) and he succeeded in saying something dumb enough to have Hinata tumbling on the floor from laughter. He couldn't remember what it was exactly, because he was _refusing_ to admit to it. But Hinata's laugh was really, _nice_. Kageyama who didn't like Hinata would never think like that. He was starting to believe that the whole process to get Hinata to like _him_ was making Kageyama like Hinata _even more_. He was sure that it wasn't supposed to go that way. But he was just _glad_ , that he succeeded.

It was evening on that same day, night already having taken over the sky and Kageyama was walking home with Hinata, like any other day. The hours passed by in a flash and he hasn't yet told Hinata a secret and it was the least to say, irritating. He kicked a rock and munched on the inside of his cheek, Hinata's rambling voice fading in the background. It wasn't that he couldn't trust Hinata with a secret, if he were entirely honest with himself he could trust Hinata with _anything_. He felt the most comfortable with being himself around Hinata and his true self wasn't open about personal matters, it was just how he was. He knew that Hinata was aware of that and was okay with it. Which was why he kind of wanted to, _impress_ Hinata. He knew that it would make Hinata happy, if Kageyama were to open to him.

"I don't mind it," He took a deep breath, without looking at Hinata, who stopped talking. "I don't mind it when you cling on to me during sleep, or anytime,"

And out of all the things Kageyama could've said, he had to bury himself six feet under with _that_ one. Theoretically, it was a secret. Just the _wrong_ one. He was excepting Hinata to look weirded out, which he did, for just a brief moment until his eyes did that sparkly thing again and he was grinning from ear to ear. He shouted Kageyama's name with pure excitement then jumped higher than he ever has, wrapping his arms and legs around his tall friend, both of them falling to the ground in a matter of milliseconds. If he were the normal, not-crushing-on-Hinata Kageyama, he would've killed the ball of orange fluff right away, but he was a _very crushing_ on Hinata Kageyama, so being like that, on the ground, hugged by a small being called Shōyō Hinata that he was undoubtedly _weak_ for, felt like _bliss_. Especially when Hinata started laughing and Kageyama wasn't one to laugh wholeheartedly, but he couldn't hold back his breathy, soundless, giggle that time. He was curious of the way in which he was looking at Hinata at that moment. Was it different from old Kageyama? He was sure that it was.

"Boko," He almost whispered, too fondly to even recognize himself and Hinata chose not to attack him with a bickering session on that evening. Instead, he happily gazed at the street-lamp lit face of his friend and placed the tip of his index on his sharp nose, a mischievous bulb lighting up in his fox-like eyes.

"Last one to arrive at my house buys breakfast tomorrow," He then said, faster than he was capable of, his tongue twisting and his body already moving away from Kageyama, running off. _Screw you, Hinata_. Kageyama thought to himself after a moment, then bolted down the street after the short, sprinting, irritating guy who he was, for a reason unknown to him, _gone_ for.

If Wednesday was all about **communicating** and **trust** , Thursday was all about **confidence** and **attraction**. The most _absurd_ day of them all. Kageyama, for the second (don't ask about his first) time in his life, had to care about his appearance. And on top of that, he had to _pay_ for breakfast. His day wasn't starting in the nicest way. He decided to wear his ' _Setter Soul_ ' shirt over the school uniform and leave his hair as it was. It didn't _have_ to look as if he was trying to look different. He just knew that Hinata liked that shirt a lot, alongside with that one grey hoodie they shared once. It turned out that he was right when they met at their usual spot and Hinata was too energetic for that hour of the morning.

"You're wearing the cool shirt! You look so cool Kageyama! You're even paying for breakfast! So cool!" He kept on chanting and jumping up and down as if someone recharged his batteries the second he woke up and Kageyama was trying his best to remain unfazed by the sudden wave of compliments and _adorable_ enthusiasm. It was only the beginning of the day. He had a lot of confidence and physical contact to spare in front of him. He was freaking out, a bit.

Kageyama bought Hinata everything that he craved for (his wallet was crying but he had to act cool) and naturally placed his hand on the little of his back when they were waiting in the line. Hinata's waist was really small, he has realized from that meaningless action. Once they were finished with eating, Kageyama put a challenge on the table, a battle of pulses. They were supposed to race to school like any other morning, then count each other's pulses to see whose was beating less. Which unfortunately ended up biting him back and becoming a disadvantage to him, because his heart only accelerated when he pressed his fingers over Hinata's neck and the boy's thinner, smaller fingers did the same over his own. But it somehow felt good, to lose for once (no, he didn't lose and wasn't feeling good about it, he was probably drunk). Hinata looked _really_ happy and his pulse felt, _cute_. Kageyama _seriously_ had to _get a grip_.

He felt so _foolish_ , coming up with all of these ideas to get to connect physically with Hinata in _any_ way he could.

Even when he was brushing his fingers over Hinata's, accidentally, while they were eating, writing, running or blocking. Or when he was squishing that elastic face more than ever and ruffling his hair until it was becoming worse than a tornado. He felt foolish. But it was a bit addictive, being able to _allow_ himself to touch Hinata. He used to feel good whenever he was smacking his stupid head or burning up his palms during a high-five, but that feeling was already long replaced. He wouldn't be able to (playfully or not) hurt Hinata again even if he wanted to. But he would _willingly_ _hold_ his _hand_ or something _dumb_ like that. _Only if he could_.

Troubled, he frowned while removing his shirt, wrinkling it in his hands and throwing it in his locker. It somehow felt like being unable to play volleyball in the way he wanted to. And he hated it.

"Even your body looks cooler than other days today, Kageyama!" Hinata suddenly exclaimed from beside him, already dressed and Kageyama could swear that Daichi noticed the dumb fluster that filled his cheeks from the straightforward comment and that he was making fun of Kageyama, in his own discreet way.

He then felt two cold, small-sized hands wrap around one of his arms, Kageyama's whole being tensing up. _Hinata was feeling up his arm muscles_ , and it was okay, it wasn't a big deal. He clenched his jaw and looked in a different direction, still making sure that he was at least keeping his muscles tense. It was ridiculous, what was happening was ridiculous, but he knew that Hinata had a _thing_ for guys with stronger, bigger builds than him. It was _motivating_ him _or something_. Which was stupid, because Hinata's body was _amazing_ as it was, but that was _far_ from the point at the given moment. The given moment, as in Hinata's reckless, idiotic hands moving over Kageyama's _chest_ and that was where the little man was _crossing_ the line. 

"Touch your own," He mumbled, attempting to _not_ sound like a truck has ran over his vocal chords, because he was feeling a _tad_ overwhelmed by the whole wave of _heat_ passing through his body because of a certain pair of _hands_.

He came to the conclusion that Thursday of attraction was absolute _Hell_.

But nothing could be compared to what was coming up, which was, **Friday of He Didn't Know Anymore.** Because that was what was actually happening. He was running out of ideas and he didn't know what to do or what was happening anymore. And Hinata didn't seem very different from before. He was feeling kind of, deflated? As if something has been sucking out the air out of him throughout the whole week and he has reached the last day, but he was left with nothing to give. As if he had no one to toss for, or no one wanted him as a setter. Which was a terrifying comparison and very different emotionally wise, but it felt a bit similar. That _helplessness_.

He has gone through a lot of _internal conflict_ to figure out that he _liked_ Hinata. And then he went through _even more_ to figure out if Hinata liked _him_. But that didn't work so he even tried to _stop_ liking Hinata, but it didn't seem like much of an option so he ended up trying to _make_ Hinata like him. He has really gone through quite the emotional battle only to meet a dead end and it was _frustrating_. Which was what led him to his **last** plan.

🏐

 **How to confess to someone** , and that time, he didn't search it on the internet.

He didn't have much of an _actual_ plan either. He just knew that it was that or nothing else. But he had his doubts, yes, Kageyama had doubts. He was afraid that this _confession_ would affect their games in a bad way, although he was still confident that the two of them were able to get over anything. But that was different. It wasn't about volleyball anymore. It was about their _personal_ relationship. So, it was normal for him to _worry_. He decided to take it all out with exercise. He ran around his neighborhood before school, then he raced with Hinata to classes (and won) and he ran again around the building a couple of times during breaks, warmed up like a mad man during practice, then practiced like _crazy_. He wasn't sure if it was helping at all, because his head was a continuous mantra of ' _I have to confess, I have to confess, I have to confess, I have to confess_ '. But it was keeping him away from socializing, which was a good thing, for him.

He might have jinxed it the second he thought about it.

"Toss me some more!" Hinata appeared out of nowhere and pushed the ball into Kageyama's chest, his stare patronizing. The practice was already over, but the two of them would always stay behind to keep going. During that time they were usually _alone_. But he tried to distract himself from that thought by giving it his best as Hinata's setter (which was a bit ironic, because whenever the ball would go up, Kageyama's gaze would fall directly on Hinata, flying Hinata, gorgeous Hinata). He couldn't really focus on anything else other than _Hinata_.

Hinata _down_ , Hinata _up_ , Hinata to his _right_ , Hinata to his _left_ and finally, Hinata sprawled out on the floor _beside him_ , his sweaty head and arms leaning onto Kageyama's body, who was also on the floor, breathing heavily. He wondered whether dumbass Hinata could feel the erratic beats of his heart through the thin volleyball shirt. And as if synchronized with that thought, two fingers pressed lightly on the side of his neck, where his pulse was. Hinata didn't have to lift his head to look at him or to say something for Kageyama to understand and immediately place his own fingers on the sweat coiled neck of his friend. And then they were quietly counting in comfortable silence.

"I win," Kageyama said in a low tone, a smug grin on his face. That was when Hinata finally looked at him, prompting his little hands on Kageyama's chest to be able to face his teammate better. He was frowning and pouting with every single tiny feature on his _pretty_ face and Kageyama's feelings surfaced so fast he almost threw them up in-between the _little_ space left from Hinata's nose to his'. Kageyama was probably out of his mind, to even think of what he was already thinking. But how could he not? When he liked Hinata so much and they were so close? When it was Friday of He Didn't Know (and didn't care) Anymore and there was a flashy note in the corner of his eye that was clearly stating that he _had_ to kiss the boy _then or never_.

Hinata was complaining about something irrelevant again, but Kageyama couldn't hear a single word. He reluctantly wrapped his palm around the back of Hinata's neck in the middle of whatever he was rambling about and tuned him out right away. He lifted himself while dragging Hinata lower until their lips met midway and there he was, bad with words, bad with actions, bad with relationships Tobio Kageyama, kissing the air out of clueless, dwarf-sized, certified dumbass (the best dumbass out there), Shōyō Hinata, his crush. Hinata's lips were dry and chapped and a bit cold despite of the unbearable heat in the court and it took Kageyama a flying second to realize that the orange-haired stupid turd _wasn't_ pushing him away. In contrary, his hands morphed into fists around Kageyama's shirt and his lips pressed harder onto the taller's mouth, opening them wide enough to allow themselves to move their lips together. Kageyama was feeling nauseous, afraid that he would wake up at any moment from the sound of his alarm. He was _actually k_ issing Hinata and Hinata was, for goodness's sake, kissing _back_. It couldn't have been real, but it was, because Kageyama could feel them everywhere, the side-effects of that kiss.

His fingers were grasping onto the hair on Hinata's nape, his leg was feeling restless, his throat felt tight, his head was fuzzy, his whole attention focused on how good it felt to kiss Hinata, how perfectly well their lips fit, how Hinata seemed as driven as him. He thought that he would pass out anytime, even if their kiss wasn't fast or pushy, he was already feeling _breathless_.

When they parted, Kageyama was already missing that sensation. But he had more important and overwhelming things to deal with. Like the way in which Hinata hid his face in the crook of Kageyama's neck the second they stopped and how at the sight of that, the realization of their moment struck Kageyama like a thunder in broad sunlight. _Fuck_. Kageyama's head dropped back on the floor with a loud thud, hovering his face with his arm. He _kissed_ Hinata and Hinata kissed _him_. _They_ kissed. **Fuck**. Kageyama's hands covered his face and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, slowly getting engulfed in panic. He never cared that much about whatever was going on in Hinata's head, but he would _kill_ to know why he was so quiet all of a sudden. Whether he was hiding because he was shy or... _regretting_ what happened.

"Shōyō?"

And _dammit_ , Kageyama _despised_ how vulnerable he sounded while calling out the name he has been preventing himself from using for so long. He removed his hands from his face and felt the flutter of soft eyelashes on his skin, which meant that Hinata opened his eyes. _Kageyama had to pull himself together_. He lifted both of them under the strength of his left arm and used his free hand to give a weak flick on Hinata's head.

"Dumbass," He murmured warmly and deepened his hand into the fluff of hair, until Hinata took the courage to look up. Look at Kageyama. Murder him on spot. His expression was unreadable, an emotion Kageyama has never seen in those lame eyes before. His cheeks were a tender shade of rosé and his mouth was trembling in the slightest way, his pupils dilating and sparkling so intriguingly, Kageyama couldn't look away. He was so unexpected. Kageyama thought that simple-minded, overreacting Hinata would freak out if anyone even tried to hold his hand, but there he was, quieter than he's ever been. Maybe that was the form of his utmost horror. But it didn't look like it.

"One more?" Hinata asked softly and gave Kageyama on of those special smiles, short, warm, yet dashing.

"This isn't _volleyball_ Hin—"

The words were pushed at the back of his throat right away, by the touch of Hinata's lips on his'. Hinata was the one kissing him _first_ now. They were kissing _again_. And it was different than the previous one, because both of them knew exactly what they were doing. Hinata's hands moved from Kageyama's chest to his cheeks, thumbs tightening around the boy's defined jaw as he changed the angle of their lips and deepened the kiss, catching Kageyama off guard. Was that boy really the Hinata he knew? It was almost as if he has been _waiting_ for that exact moment, as if he's been penting up feelings and thoughts about it, because he couldn't express them. He's seen it happen before, when he was a bit blinded by greed. So, what was blinding him again? To be kissing Kageyama like that? He couldn't believe that he could _still_ overthink in such position, but he had to know that it was _okay_ for _both_ of them.

Which was why he stopped out of the blue.

"Let's talk about this,"

He couldn't believe that _he_ was the one to say that. He had no idea how that talk would happen, or what it would be about. He found himself worrying for a second, when Hinata was being unreadable again. He looked, a bit confused, a bit bummed, a bit excited and even, motivated? How was it even possible, to express so much at once? Did he break Hinata for good? Could kisses brainwash people if their cranes were as empty as Hinata's? Kageyama was seriously concerned. Daichi was going to _kill_ him.

"What's this..." Hinata mumbled, confused, inclining his head. "You said you wanted to talk but you're staying silent," The boy continued and he sounded, _normal_. Perhaps Kageyama was the one who broke. Hinata was just waiting for him to speak, not malfunctioning. He even had that annoyingly innocent look on his face after knocking the air out of Kageyama's lungs.

What was he supposed to say? That he _liked_ him? That would be too cheesy.

"You're so stupid," _Way to go, Tobio_. "You're the most stupid person I have ever met,"

But Hinata wasn't acting up. He was just listening, taking it all in. It was _different_.

"I hate how stupid you are. Everything about you is stupid. Seriously, if I had a scale of stupidity you would surpass it. Couldn't you just be smart like everyone else and leave me alone? You're making me stupid too,"

He was sure that that wasn't how a confession had to sound like, not even close, but it felt as if his tongue had caught fire for the first time in his life.

"Always asking me to toss to you and trusting me so blindingly, hanging around me all the time as if I'm actually fun to hang out with. Always competing with me over meaningless things, only dumbasses do that. Keep doing all of that and I might get used to it, then you'll never be able to get rid of me, idiot,"

His voice was just a whisper at the end of the sentence. He thought that he has been talking in his usual aggressive tone so far, but that wasn't the case. He sounded calm, as if he was telling a story not insulting someone. Kageyama thought that he would be able to handle a confession naturally after all of those weeks of trying to run away from it, but he was wrong. He was more affected by his own feelings than he thought he would be. All of his insecurities were suddenly downing on him in front of Hinata, the last person he'd want to see any of that.

"What are you talking about, Tobio?!' Hinata's voice cut sharply through the silence, his fists tightening around his shirt to shake him up, making him lose the strength in the arm that was holding them up, Kageyama's back hitting the floor and Hinata crushing into him.

There he was, the Hinata he knew. That burning glare. Kageyama was aware of how much he hated it whenever someone was doubting themselves or having negative thoughts. Especially if that person was him. They've fought because of this lots of times.

"You're so cool! And talented! The best setter I know and not only! You're way more than you're giving yourself credit for!" His every shout was followed by a shake of Kageyama's body, that wasn't restraining them. "Do you really not know how much I look up to you and _like_ you, you brainless ass?!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 **Oh**.  
  
  
  
  
  


"I don't care what we are as long as I can always be by your side, as long as you keep tossing and I keep spiking, as long as we keep racing each other every mor-"

And Kageyama was doing that thing again, shutting Hinata up with his lips. He was starting to believe that it was a very good tactic. It took him long enough to do it. That time, while kissing Hinata, he wasn't thinking of anything else but _keeping_ on kissing Hinata. It was their third kiss, slow and steady, sighs of relief leaving both of their mouths as Hinata's hands moved in Kageyama's hair and Kageyama's arms embraced his small shoulders. _Gosh_ , both of them were reeking of sweat.

"That's cheating, you can't keep doing that whenever you want to shut me-"

But he was doing it again. Shutting Shōyō Hinata up. It felt too good to be true.

"Go away, you're stinky" Hinata scrunched his nose and pushed Kageyama away.

"You're the stinkiest," Kageyama gritted through his teeth and pressed his fingertips into Hinata's ribs, the smaller boy breaking out into a high-pitched laughter.

Kageyama's heart was beating like crazy. And it felt just _right_.

 _The internet is so stupid_ , he thought to himself while smiling.

"Let's go home, dumbass,"

And if they went home holding hands that night, Kageyama knew nothing about it. It was an accident. Also, if they competed about who could walk the other home more, it was too, just an accident. If they delayed their farewells with shut-up kisses and bickering, it was just a delusion. Because that would mean that they were, in a relationship or whatever and that was, like Tskukishima would definitely say, _gross_.


	2. he has obtained the heart, now what? a sequel by tobio kageyama

Kageyama wasn't ready for the changes that would occur in his relationship with Hinata after becoming a... _couple_? An immediate chill ran down his spine at his own use of words. Everything felt the same ( except of his weak spot for the orange haired boy that became weaker) ,but it was far from the _same_. Of course they were still at each other's throats most of the time, but it wasn't as competitive as before, not as serious either. They became more, _playful_ , in a disgustingly sweet meaning. Their little competitions stopped ending with someone splitting them up. They changed it to having Hinata pressed somewhere up a surface, ambushed by Kageyama's lips (when they were alone) instead. It was more fun that way. Sometimes during break time, instead of practicing or bickering over something irrational (although they didn't stop doing any of those things), they would sneak away into a more secluded corner and Kageyama would take a nap in Hinata's lap, or Hinata would lean his head on Kageyama's shoulder and comment on how big the taller's hands were (it was a common issue).

Or, instead of doing their casual races from class to practice, Kageyama would run with Hinata on his back, because he liked how giddy the boy would get. And during practice, their chemistry has gotten even stronger (if that was even possible). But also distractions became more common during said practices, because they were in the same room, unable to stay too close to one another, surrounded by (very suspicious) teammates and it was a bit irritating.

Because, well, **one**. Kageyama has never noticed just how _attractive_ Hinata looked while playing volleyball. Not to mention how the little idiot became a bit bolder around Kageyama after the confession, sometimes _winking_ at him during practice, as a secret code to toss to him he has said, but Kageyama knew that that wasn't the case.

 **Two**. He forgot that Hinata was a people magnet, a touchy people magnet, which meant that Kageyama had to endure the sight of _his_ boy getting touched (hugged, head-patted, lifted, squeezed) by _other_ guys for _hours_. And the worst part was that he couldn't really _do_ something about it. He would interrupt them at times, accusing them of slacking off, but the redness in Hinata's face each time was a sign that he knew _exactly_ what the reason was. It wasn't like they were afraid of something, or hiding on purpose. They just weren't ready to let the world know yet.

 **Three**. It has become harder to scold Hinata, or act like he didn't want to _kiss_ Hinata after a perfect point. Just like it was difficult to listen to _others_ teach Hinata a lesson (although that was usually him) and couldn't hide the proudness in his chest when the dumbass was getting complimented. He had _new_ things to focus on while playing volleyball and it was affecting his performance, which was something that he couldn't easily tolerate.

 **Four**. The changing room and the showers. Kageyama has never thought about it before, and as in ' **it** ' he meant Hinata's _body_. He didn't have a reason to, or at least not until he realized his feelings for him. Kageyama hasn't found himself _selectively_ interested in other's physiques. He cared about keeping his own physical appearance in shape and wasn't really, attracted to a certain 'body type' or part. But ever since he started _dating_ someone (Hinata, if it wasn't obvious), he began to _notice_ things. Things like the boy's _calves_ , _wrists_ , _fingers_ , _collarbones_ and other details like random _moles, hairs_ and _marks._ And he has been thinking about all of those, a lot. Especially when they were right in front of his eyes whenever Hinata's bare skin would hit him in the face like a plane during changing, or showering (which they both started to avoid, for a reason or two). He was curious whether Hinata also had such thoughts about him. Kageyama has caught him many times, trailing his shiny eyes over his _arms_ as if he wanted to _eat_ them _._

"Do you want to eat them?" Kageyama has asked him once, meaning it as a joke, to tease him for staring, but his serious tone was failing him. And the worse part was that they _weren't_ alone and the _worst_ that Hinata simply nodded excitedly then dug his fangs into Kageyama's left arm as if it was a whole buffet. If they weren't together, Hinata wouldn't have been alive anymore. But he had to admit that, despite the weirdness, it was kind of cute. Which was also a big problem. Hinata's freshly discovered _cuteness_.

Kageyama didn't have anyone to talk to about it. About Hinata and his stupid cute everything. He wished he could just, let it out of his system. He was sure that Hinata had someone to listen, but the only person who was listening to him was Hinata himself and he was refusing on rambling to him about his own cuteness. That would be _embarrassing_. So, he had to hold it all in. A very Kageyama thing to do, but apparently not when it was about Hinata. He wanted to talk about that idiot as much as he wanted to talk about volleyball (which was a lot) and Kageyama wasn't a very talkative guy.

It was just that, he was on the verge of having a seizure. They were having a team dinner to celebrate the beginning of a new volleyball season and Hinata was looking up at Kageyama, cheeks filled with food, a dumb grain of rice on the edge of his mouth, lips glossy and pupils dilated. And he has had _enough_. Perhaps he was exaggerating because he didn't get the chance to kiss that stupid mouth not even _once_ that day and _only_ once the previous day. He had a reason to be mad about Hinata being all cute for nothing right under his nose when he couldn't do something about it.

"Wipe your mouth, turd," Kageyama muttered under his breath while handing Hinata a napkin, avoiding meeting his gaze.

Everything went smoothly after that, as long as Kageyama was ignoring Hinata. Until he felt Hinata's feet touch his own, on purpose, and his chest lit up. Hinata would do that occasionally, just place his feet over Kageyama's, rub them at times. He said that he just liked doing it and Kageyama let him. But Kageyama was currently missing Hinata (it was stupid, he knew, Hinata was literally right beside him) and they weren't alone. And honestly, he loved his teammates but they were too damn _loud_ (his dumbass boyfriend included). Boyfriend who, strangely, wasn't being as lively as always and it was only then when he realized that he has been leaning into Kageyama for a while, drowsily dropping his head on his shoulder, clinging with his fingers onto the edge of his shirt, not even eating a second bowl or shouting about how delicious the food was, which was _very_ weird. Perhaps he had a fever.

Was it something for him to worry about? He hasn't yet come across a similar situation, where he needed to worry. Hinata was a very strong person, both mentally and physically, which meant that even during his lowest moments he always surfaced. Kageyama was familiar with that even before they got together, but he has also never seen Hinata get _actually_ sick (throwing up before matches didn't count). If that was what was happening, he wouldn't know how to deal with it. He wasn't very good at expressing feelings of concern yet. That was a Hinata thing. Hinata was always worrying about Kageyama and freaking out abouy the tiniest of accidents. Like that one time Kageyama blocked a ball with his face and got a nosebleed and Hinata was ready to collapse, thinking that his friend was _dying_ on him. Or another time when Kageyama was feeling nauseous from something he ate and Hinata noticed it in the span of a millisecond and was ready to call up an _ambulance_ for him. To put it simply, when it came to worrying about each other, they were more than complete opposites.

He nibbled on his lower lip and glanced around before he touched Hinata's forehead with the back of his palm. Honestly, Kageyama couldn't tell if his hand was cold or Hinata's face was burning. He needed someone smarter than him to enlighten him when it came to stuff like that. Hinata wasn't saying anything either, adding up to Kageyama's worry. In a second of inner crisis, he tapped Sugawara on the shoulder, the senior halting his conversation to give an inquiring look to Kageyama.

"I think that Sh- Hinata is sick," He said as quietly as possible, pointing at the lifeless orange leaf leaning onto him.

Sugawara furrowed his eyebrows, a concerned expression hovering his features at the sight of Hinata, checking the temperature of his face with his palm, just like Kageyama.

"Hinata?" He spoke gently and Kageyama felt a slight shift on his arm before the smaller boy clinged tighter around him. "He is a bit warm and is clutching his stomach a lot," Sugawara observed, almost mumbling to himself, then looked at Kageyema. "Can you take him home?" He requested, receiving an instant nod from his teammate. "I can tell coach to give you a ride, I don't think he should walk,"

That was how they ended up in Coach Ukai's car, sitting in the backseat, Kageyama at the very end with Hianta combed in a ball, his head on Kageyama's legs. He could feel the coach's concern through the rear mirror. In all honesty, he was also alarmed. It was his first time seeing Hinata like that. But he had to stay calm, for Hinata. It was probably not a big deal and he just needed a good rest. He hoped so.

Once they arrived at his place, Hinata's mom welcomed them with a wide smile, that immediately dropped at the sight of her sick son. Kageyama, who was carrying Hinata in his arms, tried to give her a reassuring smile. With a deep intake of breath, he tightened his grip under Hinata's body and carried him to his room, planting him carefully on the bed. It was his first time seeing Hinata's room, being there. He was going to explore it some more if it weren't for Hinata's unexpected movement. The short boy wrapped his hand around Kageyama's shirt right when he was about to leave and weakly patted the empty spot beside him.

Kageyama's heart clenched at the scene.

Hinata's eyes were half-closed, his complexion paler than ever (aside from the rosy blush in his cheeks) and all of his attempts at moving or speaking were too weak and fragile. It was insane how that was the same Hinata who was hitting spikes like a madman at practice a few hours ago. How could Kageyama not crawl by his side and embrace him at the sight? His bigger frame shadowed over Hinata's smaller one, that fit itself closer into Kageyama's arms, his fingertips touching with a feeble grab the thin edge of his collar. It felt _warm_. One of Kageyama's arms trailed higher up Hinata's back then delicately smoothed his fingers into his hair, beginning to mindlessly caress it, a shaky breath fanning into his chest at the touch. They've never been like that before. It was really, _comfortable_. Kageyama figured that it was the least he could do, to help out somehow.

At some point Hinata's breathing pattern changed, meaning that he fell asleep like that and Kageyama almost stopped the air from circulating in his system just to stay as still as possible, to avoid waking him up. He couldn't fall asleep either, too filled with worry. He was nervous about Hinata's mother seeing them like that (unaware that she already has) and afraid that Hinata was going to need him during the night. So, he had to stay awake, despite of his eyes closing in the comfort of their position and the peaceful darkness and quietness in the room, he had to _stay awake_. His mind was rotating in a continuous loop of ' _Don't fall asleep_ ', trying to concentrate on Hinata's every single movement instead, but soon enough he was unconsciously snoring softly into Hinata's tangerine hair.

He blamed his slip on the perfect temperature of the room. And he was definitely not going to talk about the horrifying experience he had to go through when he woke up (or was shook into oblivion by an overly ecstatic, surprisingly perfectly fine, Hinata, who was shouting something about having to go to school). He was specifically not going to mention meeting eyes with Hinata's mom on the same morning and feeling a knot tie itself tighter in his throat when Natsu exposed their sleeping antics or how they dashed out of the house holding hands and burst into the classroom just like that, receiving a few side-glances from their classmates.

What he _was_ going to talk about was the moment when he woke up a few hours prior to that whole mess and faced a dimly sunlit sleeping Hinata. It made him feel some type of way, seeing the boy there, in his arms from the second he opened his eyes. He shamelessly took his time to admire the calmness of it all, the pure preciousness in his boy's features when he was asleep and he smiled, hugging him closer and placing a kiss on the top of his head, because it felt like the right thing to do. He couldn't believe himself, that he was capable of such acts of affection, that there was someone in the world who could bring out that part of him. No wonder he liked Hinata that much, the stupid, full of love boy has changed him so much. He was curious whether Hinata _knew_ , just how _much_ he meant to him.

It hasn't even been that long, since they met and even less since they discovered a new side of their relationship but Kageyama didn't want to know, what the world would be like without Shōyō in it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hinata asked him out of nowhere, face scrunched up in adorable confusion while looking up at Kageyema, who was staring at him with adoration. He forgot for a moment, that they were still in practice and that they only stopped briefly for Hinata to tie his shoelaces. The realization made him look away immediately, crossing his arms to cover whatever fluster was building up inside of him.

But he couldn't keep the facade for long, because a pair of small hands grabbed his face a few seconds later and made him face Hinata again, who was tiptoeing in the slightest bit. A wind of panic passed through him, afraid of what that dumbass had in mind. He felt his face examined from left to right and vice-versa, the shorter's eyes searching for something that he couldn't seem to find. His concentration was rather adoring. _Only if he could kiss him right there and then (_ Tskukishima would probably never let him live if he did, not that he cared about what he thought).

"You seem okay, so I think I know why," The boy said quieter and shared a sweet smile, his eyes melting. _Was it okay? For someone that clueless and yet lovable to make him feel so weightless?_

"Gross!"

Nevermind, he had to murder Tsukishima first.

"Do you think Tsukishima knows?" Hinata asked him on a regular evening, while they were practicing overtime (and using that opportunity to spend as much love-orientated time together as possible). Kageyama threw the last ball in the basket and shrugged. He didn't care that much, or tried not to think about it. Tsukishima was a smart guy, so there was no doubt that he could've figured something out.

"The others too, they're looking at us more," The boy continued while Kageyama creeped up behind him and wrapped his arms around his little waist, placing his chin on his shoulder.

"Who cares? We're doing our thing, it's not their deal," Kageyama murmured and took Hinata's hands in his', intertwining their fingers. He was talking against his thoughts, that were secretly worried about his teammates and _what would they think_. But he didn't want Hinata, who usually didn't give a damn about what others said or perceived about him, to start caring too much about it.

" _If it's like what you're saying then why are we hiding?_ "

And with that question, the room went silent.

 _He was right_ , Kageyama knew that he was right and he hated how quiet and hesitant Hinata sounded when he said it. He suddenly wanted the ground to devour him. His grip in his hands intensified as he left a chaste kiss on the side of Hinata's neck, then moved away to pick up another ball. There was nothing good enough to be used as a response, so he decided to not say anything. A thin tension filled the air when Hinata let out a heavy sigh and continued with removing the net. The truth was that they have been avoiding the subject during the first days, then weeks, but it has been a month or so already and they were becoming somehow stressed about it. It wasn't about whether people knew or not, people always talked, they were aware of that much. It was about how they wanted to let their _teammates_ know the truth, so that they could freely be themselves around them. But it was proved to be quite difficult, to initiate a conversation about it.

"Do we have to tell them? Can't we just be ourselves and have them figure it out on their own? It's not like we're doing something wrong or special. I don't see other couples going around and announcing that they're together," Hinata complained with his back turned at Kageyama, trying to reach the top side of the net to untie the rope.

Kageyama noticed his struggle and helped him out right away, then they were close again.

He swirled Hinata around and pressed him against the pole, the boy's arms reaching out to embrace around Kageyama's neck. It was so natural. When did it become so natural? 

"We can do that," Kageyama spoke casually, in spite of all of the mixed emotions swarming through him. He watched as Hinata's eyes lit up and his mouth turned into a wide grin once he processed the words and perhaps it was worth it, to feel all of those emotions. It was so easy, when Hinata was smiling everything seemed so easy to accept. He had that effect on people, even more so on him.

It was so easy, when Hinata was reaching higher to kiss Kageyama. It felt like they didn't have to worry about anything and Kageyama has never had that feeling. He squeezed the sides of Hinata's waist and increased the force in-between their colliding lips, Hinata's fingers twisting in Kageyama's silky hair. _Easy_. He changed the angle of his head to deepen the kiss and lowered one of his hands to position it on the outside of Hinata's thigh, the boy's hands falling onto Kageyama's chest. They knew that they wouldn't be able to look at that pole the same way after that day (and every other day a spot in the training building became a make-out zone). But Kageyama wasn't sure about how much he cared when Hinata's breathing was becoming uneven and his hands were wandering everywhere on his upper body, as if searching for an easier way to touch _skin_.

"You promise?" Hinata asked breathlessly.

It took Kageyama a while to recover and figure out what exactly he was promising him.

"I promise,"

🏐

The whole process was something like this:

Hinata and Kageyama entered school grounds holding hands the day after. They only received a few curious glances. It became more of a deal when they were sitting at Kageyama's desk, with Hinata on top of it, talking about nothing while _still_ holding hands and Nishinoya was only passing by their class and happened to see them (and freaked out). Tsukishima, in contrast to Yamaguchi who just looked a bit flustered, was as Tsukishima about it as possible, acting unimpressed, as if he knew about it before even they themselves knew it would happen, probably muttering a ' _Gross_ ' under his breath, without being actually grossed out.

Later on, during lunch, their hand-holding and not so subtle clinginess captured the eyes of Sugawara too, who smiled with his whole heart and gave them the happiest thumbs up ever and unfortunately it was Tanaka who got to witness Kageyama kissing the top of Hinata's head in a moment of weakness, when he thought that no one was looking. Tanaka of course, exaggerated his reaction and almost ate the ground with his jaw, but Nishinoya assured them that he was going to be fine while dragging him away (with Tanaka shouting incoherent words that made no actual sense).

Everyone else was mediocre with their reactions (except of Yachi who claimed that she was having a heart-attack and started crying). Daichi, as the captain, tried to keep his cool and gave Kageyama a solid pat on the back (which sent chills down his spine) and there were rumors that Azumane teared up (just a bit), while Kinoshita, Ennoshita and Shimizu simply and kindly smiled in their direction. At the end of the day both Kageyama and Hinata agreed that they have never experienced something as nerve-wracking and embarrassing as that.

"But I'm glad," Hinata said out of the blue while they were doing their homework (doodling volleyballs and silly characters on each other's notebooks) at Kageyama's place. "We really have the best teammates ever,"

"I don't know, I can still feel Daichi's hand on my back," Kageyama muttered with a shiver, concentrating back on the emoticon he was drawing on Hinata's exposed thigh. "And I think I will die from all the teasing I'm getting," He pouted.

Hinata giggled and drew a mini heart on the back of Kageyama's neck.

"The annoying little prince who tamed the Great King," Hinata mocked Tsukishima and it took only a second for Kageyama to abandon his work of art and attack the ' _little prince_ ' by landing on top of him and tugging at the cords of his hoodie until the hood was squished around his face and Hinata was laughing out-loud. Kageyama decided to kiss the laugh away, grinning knowingly when Hinata inhaled sharply and instinctively hugged him closer, his tiny nose clashing into Kageyama's sharp one.

"Oh! Your Majesty!" Hinata dramatized when they took a breather, but came to regret his decision once Kageyama's ice-cold hand slipped under his clothes and tickled the sensitive skin on his stomach. His whole body jumped upwards, signaling him to attempt and squirm from underneath Kageyama, but the dark-haired was quick to pin the foxy boy to the floor and lower himself under the hoodie to trill his lips on his abdomen. The vibration ignited another laughing fit out of Hinata, his hands trying to push Kageyama away. "It's so unfair that you're not ticklish!"

He shouted while restlessly moving his legs and Kageyama escaped the hoodie just to stick his tongue out at Hinata then ambushed his face and neck with infinite, loving pecks. No one knew about that side of him, only Hinata.

No one knew that Kageyama liked to be caressed to sleep sometimes, that some nights he also wanted to be held and protected, that he was often in need of affection, attention and reassurance, that he loved kisses with his whole existence and that he had a weak spot on his earlobes, that once nibbled on or softly touched was turning him into a mess. They didn't know that Kageyama enjoyed doing his nails and was very good at it and that he had a very specific shower gel and perfume that he liked to use. Only Hinata knew about those things.

Just like only Kageyama knew that Hinata kicked and talked in his sleep (well other people knew too, but not as much as him), that once left in a quiet comfort zone he wasn't as zealous and talkative, that he was very ticklish in places no one has ever touched him on before, that he liked to borrow Kageyama's clothes and wear them to sleep, that he was very vocal and serious about his concerns and their relationship, as passionate about love as volleyball. They didn't know (and didn't have to) about how sensitive and reactive to touch Hinata's skin was, especially around the ribs, inner thighs and neck. Kageyama could do the bare minimum of breathing on those areas and Hinata would turn into a complete different person. Those were things they couldn't and didn't want to show the world, moments they could only keep to themselves, for themselves.

They didn't have to know that both of their tolerance to alcohol was low and that once they got drunk together and woke up naked, a volleyball in-between their bodies and a mystery in their heads. They didn't have to know that Hinata liked taking hot showers while Kageyama liked them cold, so one of them always had to sacrifice if they wanted to shower together (which most of the time resulted in them bickering over everything then making out on the sink as a way to reconcile). Or that they were both kind of terrible at cooking but very good at fighting with kitchen supplies and kissing on the counter. And Kageyama was excited, to find out more things about each other that no one else needed to know about.

Hinata pressed his cheek into Kageyama's bare back and placed a short kiss on it, tangling their feet under the soft blanket. _Oh, there was one more thing_. He figured it out only recently and it has taken him a quite while to adapt to it. He wasn't sure at first, if it was real and if it was the right time to say it, but the more time he was spending with Shōyō Hinata, the more sure he was of it. He took the boy's hands and brought them to his lips, kissing each finger gently and exhaled shakily.

"I love you too, Shōyō," He whispered the words out, a weight falling off of his chest and a storm forming up in his mind. He felt bad, when the boy was the first one to say those big words and didn't receive them back from Kageyema. They had a bit of a quarrel because of it, but Hinata was understanding and kind, he knew Kageyama and he was confident in their love. And he could finally say it too, feel it as a whole, that he truly _loved_ Shōyō Hinata. He felt his boy's hand still on his heart, giving it three, slow, reassuring taps and it was enough, it was more than enough.

 _Home_. He thought to himself and smiled. **_You're my home, dumbass._**


End file.
